

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">

<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript" src="helpman_topicinit.js"></script>

<title>Association Class [Enterprise Architect User Guide]</title>

<meta name="keywords" content="Enterprise Architect, Sparx Systems, UML, Connector,Connector Association Class,Association Class,Association Class Connector,Association Class Relationship,Relationship,Relationship Association Class">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />

<link type="text/css" href="default.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<style type="text/css">
  A, A:Visited
  {
    color: #00F;
  }

  A:Active, A:Hover
  {
    color: #F00;
  }

  OL
  {
    margin: 5px 0 5px 48px;
  }

  UL
  {
    margin-bottom: 3px;
    margin-top: 0;
  }

  #nsr
  {
    background-color: #D4DFFF;
  }

  #nsr A
  {
    text-decoration: none;
  }

  #mainbody
  {
    padding: 8px;
  }

  .p_BodyText
  {
    padding: 5px 0;
  }
</style>



<style type="text/css" media="screen">
  BODY
  {
    background-color: #FFFFFF;
  }

  #nsr
  {
    padding: 6px 6px 0 6px;
    border-bottom: none;
    vertical-align: top;
    z-index: 2;
    visibility: visible;
    left: 0;
    top: 0;
    position: absolute;
  }

  #mainbody
  {
    left: 0;
    top: 0;
    margin: 0;
    position: absolute;
    padding: 10px;
    overflow: auto;
    height: 100%;
    z-index: 1;
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
    background-position: bottom right;
    background-attachment: fixed;
  }
</style>

<style type="text/css" media="print">
  #nsr
  {
    visibility: none;
  }

  #mainbody
  {
    overflow: visible;
  }
</style>
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="nonscroll.js"></script>

</head>
<body scroll="no">

<div id="page">



        <div id="content">
          <div id="content-inner">
          



  
          <div id="nsr">
            <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%">
              <tr valign="top">
                <td align="left">
  


                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Association Class</span></p>



  
                </td>
                <td align="right">
                  <a href="introduction.htm" onmouseover="document.images.main.src='button_main_h.gif'" onmouseout="document.images.main.src='button_main.gif'">
                    <img name="main" src="button_main.gif" border=0 alt="Return to Introduction">
                  </a>&nbsp;
    
                  <a href="associate.htm" onmouseover="document.images.prev.src='button_prev_h.gif'" onmouseout="document.images.prev.src='button_prev.gif'">
                    <img name=prev src="button_prev.gif" border=0 alt="Previous page" />
                  </a>&nbsp;
    
    
    
                  <a href="linkanewclasstoanexistin.htm" onmouseover="document.images.next.src='button_next_h.gif'" onmouseout="document.images.next.src='button_next.gif'">
                    <img name=next src="button_next.gif" border=0 alt="Next page" />
                  </a>
    
    
                </td>
              </tr>
            </table>
          </div>
          <div id="mainbody">
  


                <p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="d_associationclass.png" width="301" height="185" border="0" alt="d_AssociationClass"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">An </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Association Class</span><span class="f_BodyText"> connector is a UML construct that enables an <a href="associate.htm">Association</a> connector to have </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="attributes.htm">attributes</a></span><span class="f_BodyText"> and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="operations.htm">operations</a> (features)</span><span class="f_BodyText">. This results in a hybrid relation with the characteristics of a connection and a <a href="class.htm">Class</a>. It is used to model particular types of connections in UML (see the <a href="associationclass.htm#OMGSpec">OMG UML Specification</a> for more details).</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">When you add an Association Class connection, Enterprise Architect also creates a Class that is automatically connected to the Association. When you hide or delete the Association, the Class is also hidden or deleted.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To add an Association Class to a <a href="classdiagram.htm">Class</a> or <a href="deploymentdiagram.htm">Deployment</a> diagram, click on the </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Association Class</span><span class="f_BodyText"> icon in the Enterprise Architect UML </span><span class="f_UIControl">Toolbox</span><span class="f_BodyText">. Click and hold on the source object in the diagram while you drag the line to the target element, then release the mouse button. Enterprise Architect draws the connector and adds the Class, then prompts you to add the Class name. Note that the names of the Class and the connector are the same. You can also <a href="linkanewclasstoanexistin.htm">connect a new Class to an existing Association</a>.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The following diagram illustrates an Association Class between model elements. Note the dotted line from the Class to the Association. You cannot move or delete this line.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="associationclassdiagram.png" width="615" height="265" border="0" alt="AssociationClassDiagram"></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Toolbox Icon</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="c_associationclass.png" width="168" height="23" border="0" alt="c_AssociationClass"></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">OMG UML Specification<a name="omgspec"></a></span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The OMG UML specification (</span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">UML Superstructure Specification, v2.1.1, p. 49</span><span class="f_BodyText">) states:</span></p>
<p class="p_OMGText"><span class="f_OMGText">A model element that has both association and class properties. An AssociationClass can be seen as an association that also has class properties, or as a class that also has association properties. It not only connects a set of classifiers but also defines a set of features that belong to the relationship itself and not to any of the classifiers.</span></p>




            </div>
          </div>
        </div>



</div>


</body>
</html>
